Allis chalmers wd45 head gasket

The oil turned brown again
The sealer didn't work. dont know what to do

The battery cable was loose.
The oil level is a bit higher and it's now brown.
I pulled the valve cover and there was water in it

Why do you think that the block is cracked

I'll spend as much money as I need to to fix this tractor.
It's special to me

I'll start pulling the head tomorrow

I don't think I've ever been able to determine if you have already had the cylinder head off or not ??  If there are 3 cracks on top of the block between all the sleeves, there is a good chance it is split down below where the Orings are. The block has to be sanded/wire brushed clean between the sleeves to be able to see cracks if there are any. There will be some who say that cracks on the top of the block don't hurt anything. That is kind of true. 1 crack maybe. 2 cracks, not so much. 3 cracks, pretty doubtfully that things are good down below. And especially when you have coolant going into the oil pan.

Is there any chance that it is just a head gasket.
I am just looking for any hope for my tractor.

Head gasket, not very likely. If the gasket was bad around the fire ring area, it could let coolant leak into a cylinder and over time, leak past the piston rings and get into the pan. But that would be obvious when starting the engine. Excess coolant would blow out the exhaust or it may not even want to turn over when cranking the starter. That is called hydro locked. It's not easy to compress a liquid. Removing a spark plug and then cranking the starter would get the coolant out of that cylinder. Even if this were to happen, it creates another problem. If the fire ring area was bad, it will now let the cylinder compression leak into the cooling system. You would know this too,when the radiator cap can't hold all that pressure and the coolant just pours out the overflow. Another area for the head gasket leaking coolant into the oil would be over by the push rods. But that would show up by coolant dripping off of the lifters and cam lobes, when looking from below. My understanding was that you saw it leaking from the sleeve area. Regardless, a complete tear down will likely be needed.   For good or bad, I've also got over 50 years experience on these engines. Damn we're getting old Doc.

Edited by Lynn Marshall - 06 Nov 2024 at 10:23pm

With the cooling system full and pressurized with the radiator pump tool and have the valve cover removed. There are 2 or 3 plugs right there on top easy to see. Antifreeze will leak much quicker and easier than straight water as its molecules are smaller.

DrAllis wrote: I don't think I've ever been able to determine if you have already had the cylinder head off or not ??  If there are 3 cracks on top of the block between all the sleeves, there is a good chance it is split down below where the Orings are. The block has to be sanded/wire brushed clean between the sleeves to be able to see cracks if there are any. There will be some who say that cracks on the top of the block don't hurt anything. That is kind of true. 1 crack maybe. 2 cracks, not so much. 3 cracks, pretty doubtfully that things are good down below. And especially when you have coolant going into the oil pan.